Diving in Sweden

This article is a travel topicDiving in Sweden can be somewhat under estimated. The waters are very cold and dark, the bottom composition is often muddy and you will most likely need drysuit in all seasons. Despite of that, there are plenty of fantastic destinations and unique features such as the preservation of submerged objects.

Sappemeer sank on 11 July 1969 due to rough sea conditions. She was taking in water too fast to be able to compensate and sank. She is now lying on her side at 25 meters depth and it is possible to enter through the cargo area.

S/S Najade sank an early morning on 12 April 1933 in the Baltic sea. The freighter hit some shallow rocks and cracked a hole in the hull. These waters, between Sweden and Finland, are well known for having many shallow parts. The archipelago of Stockholm is actually almost stretching all the way over to Finland.

The ship is very well preserved and standing perfectly straight (as if it was sailing on the bottom). The cargo area is invitingly big and empty, filled only with a thick and heavy yellow color; as if the oranges and tobacco that were in the cargo had been dissolved and still hanging in like ghosts.

It is amazing to see this ship appear out of nowhere when you descend. The visibility is very limited until you reach the thermocline. The ship is made of steel and reflects the torch lights well.

The wreck is within a seal reservation and is prohibited to visit between 1 February and 15 August (confirm?).

Shore dive — The easiest way to get into the waters is from the beach. The shallow waters stretch quite far out and you might make it down to 20 meters if you are persistent. There is plenty of room for parking your car on close to the dive site. Although, you should be careful with getting in the way for the bus that end it's route there and have to make a U-turn.

There is a tragic story behind the wreck of SS Ingrid Horn. The 90m German cargo ship was built in 1901. In July 31 in the summer of 1917 the Ingrid Horn was on route from Lulea to Germany with a cargo of iron ore on a quiet night when she was hit by another ship who realized that they were on collision course when it was already too late. It is said that the Ingrid Horn was sailing without the lanterns lit; it was in wartime and they wanted to save the precious kerosene. They probably thought that they would have time to light them up if another ship came into sight. Only one person survived out of about twenty people in the crew.

The Swedish cargo ship SS Bergvik was entering Dalarö when the pilot noticed a white light, which he believed was a vessel at anchor. When Bergvik got closer they also saw a faint red glow. Eventually they realised that it must be a ship under way and there was a risk of collision. The captain ordered full astern, but it was too late. and the Bergvik's bow penetrated three feet into the side of the Ingrid Horn, which sank fast. The SS Bergvik managed to get loose and survived the collision

The wreck is now a popular attraction for divers. Note that it is the middle of a shipping route, which requires a little extra focus on security and awareness.

Boat dive — Descend at the buoy that marks the route and you will find a rope that leads you down to the stern of S/S Ingrid Horn... in all her glory, still very preserved. On the port side there is a two-meter hole caused by the collision.

The wreck at Nacka Strand lies in a dark and muddy place. You reach it by entering the water from the pier, swim on the surface to the left corner of the bay and descend there. You will land at about seven meters depth where you will find some large pipelines. Follow them out until you find a string tied to them, leading you 90 degrees out to the wreck.

Shore dive — You should be aware that it is a long way to walk from the parking area down to the water. Very long. One option is to bring everything down to the pier and gear up there, but you will need someone to watch your bags left on the pier. The other option is that you gear up as much as possible at your car and walk all the way down. This can be a sweaty maneuver in the wrong season though.

M/S Harm, a.k.a. Naantali, was a Finnish cargo ship that sunk in 1969 after a collision with another ship. She was hit on port side and sunk quickly due to severe damages to the hull. Everyone except one of the crew members managed to save themselves before she sunk.

That is long time ago and now the spot is serving as a dive site. It is a relatively easy dive, although one should be careful since it is close to a shipping route.

Shore dive — You can enter the waters directly from the docks and then you just have to follow the rope that you will find attached directly below. The other end of the rope is tied to the wreck. From the wreck you will also find another rope that leads further to a sunken sail boat

No, it is not a joke. This is in fact the name of a dive site in the inner city of Stockholm, named after the boat that sunk some time in the eighties. This was a place for illegal gambling and other shady activities at that time. It all ended in a not too clear way. Maybe there was not too much interests in finding out what really happened. It came to an end and that was it.

Inner city areas are always interesting since there will most likely be plenty of interesting and misplaced objects to be found on the bottom (junk, cellphones, bicycles and sometimes cars).

The boat is now serving a much better purpose... although still managing to be in conflict with the law; since it is a dive site in harbor area you are not allowed to dive here. You can still access it with proper permission from authorities and a little effort.

Shore dive — The easiest way to find it is to swim on the surface to the cable sign (Swedish: Kabel), descend and follow the white cable pipe that is parallel with two other gray pipes. Go about 50 meters and then you will find a string attached to the pipe, leading down to the wreck.

Inner city Shore dive — The easiest way to access the dive site is to enter from Stora Essingen. Park your car at Värdshusbryggan (where there is plenty of space for parking and gearing up). Later you just follow the line that is attached to one of the poles of the bridge

The dive site is an old abandoned limestone quarry that is now filled with water. The area is very small and looks like a little pond. Although... a very deep pond. It is not 100% clear how deep the hole is since the bottom part consists of cold black mud.

The dive site is often used for beginner courses, deep dive training (for advanced courses) and ice dives in winter time.

The visibility is as good as it ever gets in Swedish waters and there are plenty of fun things to find under water.

The place is also popular for apnea divers in summer time

Position: — 58° 57' 7.06" N, 17° 28' 6.01" E

Depth: — 45m

Altitude: Sea level?

Topography: — There are a number of ledges around the edges, where the far side of the quarry is very shallow and well suited for beginner courses.

Aquatic life and features: — At one of the plateaus there is a "bathroom" with a submerged sink, toilet and a large mirror. It worth mentioning how weird it is to see yourself hovering in a completely black surrounding.

Hazards: — Beware of the caves! Do not try to enter them without proper equipment, training and reasons! An unconfirmed story tells about a diver that got lost and drowned within them. In winter the surface may be frozen and Ice may prevent access to the air.

Skills: — Skills and qualifications should suit the planned dive profile. This may include Ice diving and Cave diving, which are specialitie requiring specific advanced training and equipment.

Equipment: — Equipment should suit the planned dive. If you do not know exactly what is required for ice or cave dives, dont try it

Shore dive — There are plenty of exit points along the way. It is recommended that you choose a place a little bit outside of the city center, such as the design university (with plenty of parking space).

Aquatic life and features: — The aquatic life in the river is second to none, although there are plenty of other interesting things to see and do. You will find a rich variety of items that has been thrown from the bridges or dropped from any of the restaurant boats that are permanently parked along the way. With a little bit of luck you will find a bicycle every once in a while.

Diving the the "Umeå River" is best in the spring, when all the melted snow from the inland is raising the water level and strength of the current. You will have a long free ride all the way down to the city within 30-40 minutes.